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60 [Assembly 
er*s operations. In those cases, by no means unfrequent, where 
the proprietors of iron works have also under their control the 
manufacture of charcoal intended for their use, it would be greatly 
to their advantage to introduce some of those improvements which 
have been adopted in England and France, and the value of which, 
experience has fully confirmed. 
Although charcoal is perhaps the best fuel for the iron furnace, 
it is well known that causes are gradually, though constantly ope- 
rating to diminish the supply, and of course to increase its price. 
In some cases, this already begins to act as a damper upon the ma- 
nufacture in question. The same difficulty was experienced in 
England at a very early period, when it was fortunately ascertain- 
ed that the bituminous coal, which abounds in that country, when 
converted into coke, might be substituted in the place of charcoal. 
And it is to this discovery that England is chiefly indebted for the 
commanding position which she now occupies as a manufactuiing 
nation. In this country it has often been proposed to employ an- 
thracite instead of charcoal, in iron smelting; and many experi- 
ments have been made for the purpose of determining whether this 
was practicable. In one or two instances, the results have been 
considered sufficiently encouraging to warrant further trials upon 
a more extended scale. Upon these I do not feel myself at liberty 
to comment particularly, and will only add a few remarks upon 
the difficulties attending the use of anthracite in the process in 
question in the hope they may have the effect of preventing some 
useless and expensive experiments. 
It seems to be admitted that the calorific power of anthracite is 
equal to that of coke, and that it gives out abundance of carbon to 
effect the reduction of the oxide of iron to the metallic state, and 
to cause its conversion into cast iron. But it almost always con- 
tains sulphuret of iron, which, during the combustion, is converted 
into sulphuretted hydrogen and sulphurous acid. These com- 
pounds, when liberated, in contact with the ores of iron subjected 
to a high heat, part with some of their sulphur, and impair the qua- 
lity of the resulting metal. The same difficulty is sometimes ex- 
perienced in the use of bituminous coals and coke; but it may be 
obviated, in a good degree at least, by a proper adjustment of the 
fiux. In such cases, the calcareous ingredient should be increased 
to as great an extent as possible, without impairing the fusibility 
of the compound. By this means the sulphur combines with the 
